Newtown High School Principal Charles "Chip" Dumais is leaving the district after six years to take a job as superintendent for the Amity Regional District, which incorporates Orange, Bethany and Woodbridge.

He begins his new position March 1.

"It's not every day a principal is chosen as a superintendent, and we are excited for him as he pursues this endeavor," said Julie Haggard, Newtown's director of pupil services and the acting president of the administrators' union. "His contributions to the district have been far-reaching and will be felt in the years to come."

Whether in a classroom teaching physics and calculus or working with colleagues on how to integrate technology into everyday lessons, Dumais was an innovator, his colleagues said.